


Take the Fall

by CinemaBane



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Allies to enemies to lovers, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Broken System, Corruption, Episode: s05e18 The Jedi Who Knew Too Much, Episode: s05e19 To Catch A Jedi, Episode: s05e20 The Wrong Jedi, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fox pursues Ahsoka into the Coruscant underworld, Jedi Temple Bombing (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Jedi Temple Bombing investigation, Rare Pairings, Rivalry between Fox and Rex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29257071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CinemaBane/pseuds/CinemaBane
Summary: An AU depiction from clone Commander Fox’s perspective of the Jedi Temple bombing investigation, Ahsoka’s framing & arrest, and the subsequent manhunt that takes place.OR: What if Fox pursued Ahsoka into the Coruscant underworld?
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox/Ahsoka Tano
Comments: 20
Kudos: 34
Collections: Commander Fox





	1. Chapter 1

“Sir, Commander Tano just landed at the main gate.”

Clone Commander Fox looked up from his console in the control center and nodded to Rhys in acknowledgement. “Understood, I will take it from here.”

Fox couldn’t understand the reasoning behind it, but the prisoner, Turmond, had requested to speak with Tano after several uninformative interrogation sessions that had led nowhere. She had refused to divulge any particularly pertinent information that Fox didn’t already know from the Jedi’s investigation into the Temple bombing.

As far as clones went, he wasn’t exactly a fan of the Jedi for several reasons, but he couldn’t fathom why anyone would blow up a hanger bay. Jedi, clones, _and_ civilians were all killed in the blast. 

But if sending a Jedi down would help speed up the interrogation process and potentially get something useful out of Turmond, he was all for it. 

Tarkin had taken jurisdiction of the investigation from the Jedi Council on behalf of the GAR and was practically breathing down Fox’s neck for results.

He could bitch all he wanted about the Admiral in his off-time with Stone and Thire, maybe Thorn if he wasn’t busy handling senators while off-planet. But for now, Tarkin told him to ‘jump’ and Fox asked ‘how high.’ 

He'd heard good things about Commander Tano though, so he was confident that they would finally make some progress. He’d seen her on Coruscant before, but hadn’t really interacted with her before. The kid had a good head on her shoulders, according to Rex and some of the other clone Commanders that had worked with her in the past. 

The _last time_ he’d seen her was when Cody’s Jedi General had decided to go undercover by faking his death and pretending to be the (attempted) murderer in order to infiltrate a high-security prison that _Fox_ was in charge of. Commander Tano and General Skywalker had ‘apprehended’ not-Hardeen and dropped him off at Fox’s doorstep. 

He’d been infuriated when it was revealed that a plot to assassinate the Chancellor had been thwarted as a result of the undercover operation. 

No--not because the operation had been successful, but because Fox and the Guard had been left in the dark by the Jedi. They hadn’t been trusted to do their jobs.

The Jedi were certainly happy enough to let Fox and his men clean up the mess they had left, though. The prison riot they had caused led to several troopers on prison duty being injured and killed, not to mention the _inmate_ casualties.

The crematorium had been pushed to its limit for an entire week and the infirmary was filled to maximum capacity. Some of the injured troopers never recovered enough to return to duty and were sent back to Kamino, despite his protests. He never forgave himself for it. 

Fox was the _head Commander_ of the _Coruscant Guard_ . He was literally in charge of the city-planet’s security and it was _definitely_ his business to know things like this. The Jedi Council’s secrecy and rogue-like attitude of taking matters into their own hands with zero consultation of the Guard or GAR was putting more people in danger and making his job harder.

The fact that he hadn’t been trusted with something as serious as the _Chancellor’s safety_ , a role given to these self-proclaimed _peace-keepers_ , only made his distrust and frustration towards the Jedi grow--

The _whoosh_ of the cell block door sliding open snapped Fox out of his broodings.

“Yes?” he asked before recognizing Commander Tano’s distinct figure standing on the other side of the transparisteel window.

“I’m Commander Tano,” she introduced herself. “Letta Turmond requested to see me.”

Fox stepped away from the console and crossed his arms. “A lot of people died in that blast, good job capturing her.” 

Commander Tano didn’t respond, a look of what seemed to be unease settling on her face as her eyes darted around the control center.

Fox brushed it off. She was a kid playing the role of a soldier while being restricted by some old morally conflicting code. In any case, this was probably the first time she’d seen the inside of a Republic prison _and_ she was about to interrogate a terrorist who had caused a ton of people to die--who wouldn’t feel a little bit uneasy?

“Alright,” he turned to Rhys and Jek. “Scan her.”

Beeping from the troopers’ workstations immediately filled the room and Fox glanced at the screen to locate the discrepancies. 

“Leave your commlink and lightsabers here,” he said, pointing down at the item tray with two fingers.

The Jedi dropped her belongings into the tray without protest, which is more than what he could say for some visitors.

The tray swiftly retracted and Fox promptly exited the control center with Rhys and Jek in tow.

“Follow me,” he ordered Commander Tano as he passed her, placing his hands together behind his back.

The group made their way around the corner to the beginning of the cell block, where the ray shields began deactivating one by one, the clone troopers escorting the Jedi Commander deeper into the facility.

The dark gray bulkheads stood out menacingly on either side of the hallway, the harsh fluorescent lighting and red glow of the ray shields illuminating the scrape marks that scarred the reinforced metal, evidence of years of abuse.

Fox glanced back to make sure the Commander was still following and saw that her eyes were wandering, the expression of unease back on her face again.

_Yeah, this place definitely isn’t for someone like her to be around._

Looking a little further, he mentally scoffed at Tano’s battle dress. It was a tight sleeveless brown tunic that left nothing to imagination, with a small egg-shaped hole in the upper chest and the majority of her backside left bare, followed by an equally tight pair of leggings with diamond shaped cutouts in the sides.

Was this really what she went into combat wearing? No armor and looking like she was heading to Corrie’s entertainment sector?

Fox scoffed again, this time doing it for real but managing to pass it off as a cough. He imagined Jedi often dressed this way because of the mentality of near-immortality they held as Force users. 

He was about to turn back around when she caught his gaze and immediately looked in another direction, the blue stripes of her head tails and orange skin visibly darkening in color.

Fox casually turned away as if nothing had happened and maintained his pace down the hallway, contemplating her reaction. He had no idea how the biology of any species other than humans functioned whatsoever, so he had even _less_ of an idea when it came to Togrutas, but if he had to guess, it looked like she was _blushing._

Blushing usually meant embarrassment, but as far as he was concerned, there was nothing to be embarrassed _about_. Kid looked a little rough so he wanted to make sure she didn’t get lost or anything. That was it.

“Commander, were you… _ogling_ the _Commander_?”

Jek’s teasing voice on the internal comms brought him back to reality.

“ _What?_ ” Fox managed to ask without turning around and strangling the trooper. 

“Were you--”

“Do you _want_ to be assigned an extra shift on patrol, Jek?” 

Luckily, that was enough to shut him up for now, the only audible sound being Jek and Rhys’s quiet snickering, which Fox quickly put a stop to by muting the comm channel.

If there was one thing he hated, it was being involved in a rumor. Having a reputation to maintain and long embraced the title of being the ‘fun police’ from his fellow brothers, it would not do well to have anything tarnish or dispute it.

At last, they stopped in front of cell 173 without any further incident and Fox slid his keycard through the lock control panel. The door slid open, revealing Turmond sitting in the corner of the cell on the metal block that served as a bunk with her arms wrapped around her. 

Commander Tano walked down the steps and into the cell, Fox following her inside at a respectful distance but stopping half-way down the steps, shifting his weight into a more comfortable position and preparing to wait things out for the long haul.

“What do you want, Letta?” Tano asked sternly in a no-bullshit tone.

Turmond looked down and shifted her hat. “I was... told if I ever needed help, you were the Jedi to contact.”

 _The hell was_ that _supposed to mean?_

It wasn’t the most vague thing he’d ever heard a prisoner confess, but it was certainly still confusing.

Fox could imagine the look Commander Tano was giving the prisoner right now, because it was probably the same incredulous expression he wore under his helmet currently.

Turmond’s gaze shifted from Tano to Fox, transforming into a glare of hatred and disgust.

He tilted his head slightly in amusement, completely unfazed by her sudden bout of hostility.

_Try it, bitch, and I promise you’ll be on the ground in binders before you can even say ‘flesh droids.’_

As a clone and Guardsman, he was plenty used to civilians and criminals expressing their ‘distaste’ for him and his brothers. It was simply another day on the job as far as he was concerned.

Commander Tano seemed to have noticed the silent confrontation that was occurring and turned back to Fox, her eyes and expression softening.

“Give us a minute, please,” she said politely.

Eh, he had other things to do anyways, as entertaining as it might be to set this lady straight.

He gave a small nod of acknowledgement before climbing back up the steps and exiting the cell, locking the door behind him.

“Let’s head back to control, boys,” he said as he passed Jek and Rhys, walking back the way they came. “Commander’s probably gonna be a while.”

“Aw man, the show was just getting good, sir!” Rhys whined. Yes, _whined_ . As in _whined_ like a cadet who wasn’t getting his way. 

“I know you’re behind on reports, Rhys,” Fox chuckled good-naturedly. “Plus, you can keep an eye on the camera feed, let us know when the Commander’s finished.”

“Hey, the Commander’s got it all sorted out,” Jek piped up, smacking Rhys on the shoulder. “There’s your show, brother.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Rhys muttered sarcastically.

\---

“Commander, you’re doing it again.”

Fox’s head snapped up to the sound of Hound’s serious tone. He hadn’t even noticed the sergeant enter.

“...Doing _what_?” he demanded tiredly. “Don’t you have another hour on perimeter patrol?”

“You’re thinking too much,” the ARF trooper answered as he leaned against a nearby console. 

Fox stood silently for a moment, letting the words process. 

“I’m thinking too much,” he repeated slowly, beginning to feel a headache forming.

“Yes, you’re thinking too much about what you could’ve done to protect us.”

Fox immediately recognized Hound’s intentions and raised his hands.

“Oh no, we’re _not_ having this conversation again, Hound,” he laughed mirthlessly. “You’re _not_ going to change my mind. Thorn, Thire, and Stone have already tried, trust me.”

“Alright, alright,” Hound relented, pushing himself off of the console he was leaning against and placing a hand on Fox’s shoulder. “Just promise me that you won’t beat yourself up too hard about things that are out of your control. Alright?”

Fox stared at the hand on his shoulder before sighing. “You know I can’t promise that--”

The conversation was cut short when the blaring of beeping from Rhy’s station filled the room, followed by an automated voice warning that prisoner health was critical in cell 173.

_What the hell?_

“Commander, the prisoner!”

A glance at the camera feed for cell 173 revealed Turmond levitating in the air and grappling at her throat with her hands, Commander Tano standing in front of her, hands raised towards the prisoner. 

“Go, I’ll lock the cell block down!” Hound shouted, pulling away from Fox and running over to a console.

Fox immediately snapped into action, automatically drawing his blaster pistols and rushing to the door. “Follow me!” 

Rhys and Jek swiftly pursued Fox, snatching their blaster rifles from the corner and taking up positions on either side of their clone Commander.

Cells came to life all around them as the security protocols activated, each cell enabling its ray shield or firmly sliding its cell door shut. 

Arriving at cell 173, the trio took up positions by the cell’s door, Rhys holding one side of the door while Jek unlocked the door with his keycard. 

Fox charged down the steps of the cell as soon as the door slid open, followed by the pair of troopers.

Commander Tano was kneeling over Turmond, who was sprawled on the ground face-down. 

_This wasn’t supposed to happen..._

Finally noticing Fox and the troopers, Tano lifted her head towards them, looking distraught. 

“I... don’t know what happened!” she said to Fox in an almost pleading tone. 

Jek kneeled down next to Turmond, placing a forefinger on her neck before looking back up. “Commander… she’s dead.”

_Shit..._

Fox swept his eyes around the cell for anything he might have missed. Seeing nothing, he came to an almost immediate conclusion.

There was no one else in the room.

_And yet…_

And yet Fox couldn’t bring himself to fully believe that someone like Commander Tano would do this. 

Shaking his head in an only half-successful attempt to clear his mind, he focused his attention back on Tano. 

“I can’t say I blame you Commander Tano, but all the same,” Fox forced the words out with distaste, raising his blasters. “You’re under _arrest_.”

The young Jedi looked up in distress, quickly raising her hands above her when she noticed Fox had his blaster pistols pointed at her.

“I… no--no! I did _not_ do this!” She was visibly trembling now, shaking her head side to side in frantic motions.

Fox looked back at Rhys, giving him a nod. The trooper immediately moved forward, coming up next to Fox and grabbing Tano by her left wrist. 

Unexpectedly, she twisted around, tearing her arm free from Rhys’s grip and backing away.

Training taking over, Fox leveled his blasters at her instinctively, Rhys and Jek doing the same. 

Commander Tano raised her hands, eyes widening in fear. “I--wait! _Please_ , I’m telling you that I did _not_ kill her! You have to believe--” 

“Get on the ground! _Do it now!_ ” Fox shouted, interrupting her frantic pleading. 

Shock written on her features, Tano closed her mouth and did as ordered, laying flat on the cool durasteel of the cell floor. 

“Place your hands behind your back,” Fox ordered, keeping his blasters trained on Tano. “No sudden movements.”

Warily, she complied, slowly placing both arms behind her back. 

Rhys sprang into action without missing a beat, quickly positioning himself on top of Tano and snapping the binders onto her wrists. 

Holstering his blaster pistols, Fox joined Rhys and helped haul Tano to her feet, guiding her by the arm to the doorway of the cell.

Her head was tilted towards the floor, but he could make out thin tears and a shattered looking expression.

Sighing deeply, he turned to Jek, pausing on the steps.

“Lock this cell down. No one gets in there unless I say so.”

Jek nodded in acknowledgement, following them out of the cell. “Yes sir.”

He distinctly heard the sound of Jek locking the cell before his mind drifted to what to do next.

“Where to, Commander?” Rhys’s voice invaded Fox’s helmet through the internal comms.

“We’re taking Commander Tano to the maximum security wing for the time being,” Fox answered. “I’m not taking any chances. Speaking of which…”

He quickly switched channels to the private one he had set up between himself and Hound. “Hound, this is Fox. What’s the lockdown status?”

“None of the cameras or sensors came back with anything unusual, sir,” Hound replied promptly. “No one has been in the vicinity of the detention block besides GAR personnel. Should I lift the lockdown?”

“Negative, maintain lockdown,” Fox decided, going with his instincts. “We’re moving Commander Tano to maximum security for now.”

“Understood. Anything else, sir?”

“No one gets into that cell, or the detention block, for that matter. The body stays there until further notice.”

“On your orders, sir?”

“On my orders, Hound. Make sure Commander Tano’s belongings are secured as well.”

“Copy that, sir.”

Fox disconnected from the channel and switched his helmet mic back to external speakers, stopping in front of a max security cell fitted with a ray-shielded entrance and releasing his grip on Tano’s arm.

The young Jedi looked at the cell and then up at Fox, her face a blotchy orange and streaked with tears.

It took all of Fox’s resolve to ignore Tano, digging his keycard out of his belt and sliding it through the cell’s lock control.

The ray shield warbled and disappeared.

“...What’s going to happen to me?”

Choosing to continue ignoring her, he grabbed Tano by the arm again and guided her inside, Rhys following closely behind.

The cell was as bare and minimal as they came, completely encased in cold and hard durasteel. A durasteel basin and toilet were mounted on the far left wall, and a durasteel slab in the back acted as both a bench and a sleeping bunk. 

The only light in the cell was the glow of the ray shield and the underlit floor grills, which illuminated the room in a harsh red light.

Tano glanced back, standing in the middle of the cell awkwardly. 

Fox pointed at the metal slab. “Sit.”

Unable to control her descent, she clumsily dropped into her seat.

Crossing his arms, Fox finally answered. “You’re under investigation for murder, conspiracy, and treason against the Republic--”

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. “Fox--listen to me! Please, you have to believe that it _wasn’t_ me! It was someone else--there _had_ to have been someone else--”

Fox gritted his teeth as he felt a headache begin to flare up again, snapping. “Cut the chatter!”

She drew back as if hit, clamping her mouth shut.

“There is a woman lying in a cell _dead_ , and _you_ were the only one in that room with her,” Fox paused a moment to calm himself, taking a deep breath before continuing. “That makes _you_ the primary suspect in this investigation.”

He paused again to let the information sink in, shaking his head in frustration.

“The _only_ way you’re going to help yourself is if you cooperate during the investigation. Do you understand?”

Tano peeked up at Fox half-heartedly, nodding meekly.

It was good enough for him.

“Alright, then,” he switched to his comm channel with Hound. “Send someone down to cell 410 with a processing form.”

“Copy that. Chase isn’t doing anything other than _pretending_ to look busy right now, so I’ll send him down with a ‘pad.” 

Fox couldn’t help but crack a small smile under his helmet when he heard the distinct sound of another clone’s voice protesting in the background before the channel disconnected.

The room fell into uncomfortable silence again, occasionally broken by Rhys fidgeting with one of his wrist gauntlets. 

The adrenaline was beginning to wear off now, and Fox, not that he would admit it to anyone, was starting to feel a _little_ tired. Just a _little_ , of course. 

See, when you’re in charge of the security of the Republic’s capital planet, sleep is not a very high priority on the list of day-to-day tasks, to put it lightly.

And so, you _may_ occasionally doze off once in a while standing guard or staring at a screen--

“ _CT-5944 reporting for duty, sir!”_

Fox’s head jerked up slightly, the only visible movement that betrayed his true state of wakefulness.

The shiny, Chase, had arrived with a datapad in hand and was standing at attention at the bottom of the steps and practically vibrating with energy. 

Out of the corner of his vision he could see Tano attempting to stop herself from smiling, but failing. He couldn’t fathom why she would be smiling at all in her situation, being a murder suspect and all.

Fox muttered some choice words under his breath before accepting the datapad and sighing. “Chase, you don’t need to stand at attention every time you interact with me, okay?”

“Apologies, sir!” Chase relaxed his stance into parade rest.

Shaking his head, Fox turned to Rhys. “Rhys, why don’t you take him and stand guard outside? Maybe get him to relax a little.”

“Will do, sir,” the senior trooper nodded, then beckoned Chase to follow him. “Let’s go, shiny.”

The clone complied and followed Rhys out of the cell, but not before saluting again, turning on his heel, and marching away, the cell’s ray shield activating shortly after. 

“Shinies,” Fox muttered before turning back to Tano and turning on the datapad.

He logged into the incarceration database and pulled up a blank arrest form, then tapped a key on his wrist gauntlet, starting up his helmet cam.

Tano was fidgeting with her legs and attempting to adjust her position. Irked by her lack of concentration, he cleared his throat, quickly gaining her attention.

“This is CC-1010 conducting processing on--” he glanced at the datapad, and then his HUD’s chronometer. “--case number 1187-5J. The current time is 2305.” 

Fox looked up and stared Tano in the eyes. “When I ask you a question, I want you to answer the question and _only_ the question. Do you understand?”

Tano nodded, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

“I need you to verbally acknowledge that you understand,” Fox clarified. “A ‘yes’ will do.”

She blinked, took a deep breath. “Yes--yes, I understand.”

“Let’s start with your name, age, occupation, and rank.”

Tano closed her eyes and took another deep breath before answering. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I am 20 years old and a padawan of the Jedi Order. I work under General Anakin Skywalker in the 501st clone battalion as a Commander.”

Fox efficiently noted each piece of information on the processing form, then glanced up again. “I want to ask you a few more questions to give further context to this incident, provided that you consent to it. Everything you say can and will be used in the Republic court of law, so, with that in mind, do you consent to my questioning?” 

It was silent for several seconds before she answered.

“Will this help me?”

“That depends on the answers you give me,” Fox replied coolly. 

Tano shifted in her seat nervously, then released a breath. “Alright... I’ll--I’ll do it.”

Fox nodded in acknowledgement, crossing his arms. “Start from the beginning. Why were you called to the detention center?”

“Okay. Alright,“ Tano looked up towards the ceiling, gathering her thoughts. “Admiral Tarkin--he contacted us at the Jedi Temple and told me that the bombing suspect--Letta Turmond--had asked to talk to me. She wouldn’t say why, and I honestly had no idea what she could want.

“If she was trying to clear her conscience, she wasn’t going to get any comfort from me. Not after feeding her own _husband_ \--” Tano’s voice broke, and she paused for a second. “--Sorry. She--she told me that if she ever needed help, that I was the Jedi to contact. I had no idea how or why I should help her after what she did, but I told her to get whatever it was off her chest.

“She said that it wasn’t her idea to feed her husband--Jackar, I think his name was--explosive nano droids. I asked her why she didn’t mention something that important until now. She said that her life was in danger, and that whoever it was that gave her the idea to bomb the Temple would harm her. She wanted me to protect her. I asked her to tell me the truth, and she said that a Jedi showed her how to make the bomb. That there were some people who believed the Jedi Order isn’t what it used to be, and that this Jedi agreed with them and was willing to attack the Order to make a statement--”

“Are you aware of anyone who may hold those beliefs?” Fox interrupted, processing all of the information. “To the point that they might consider domestic terrorism to get their message across?”

Tano shook her head, a look of incredulity on her face. “No--no way. No one I know would be capable of doing such a thing.”

“Are you sure about that?” Fox asked. “ _Someone_ with the ability to use the Force murdered that prisoner.”

Ahsoka looked down. “I--I don’t know.”

“You know I need more details. What did the prisoner tell you?”

“Okay, um... Letta--Letta told me that she needed me to protect her if she told me the truth, because she had been set-up. I insisted that she tell me who it was, and she caved. But then--she started choking and floating into the air. I tried to help her--I kept calling out her name. Someone had to be using the Force nearby to do this, but…” her voice faltered.

“‘But’ what?” Fox asked.

“I--I couldn’t sense them,” she whispered. “It was like they were able to shield themselves from being detected by the Force. I don’t know how they were able to hide themselves.”

Fox grimaced, immediately seeing a hole in her story. “I’m sorry, but there was no one in the detention block at the time of questioning.”

“What!?” she shook her head frantically, eyes wide and breathing shakily. “No. No-no- _no_ . It was someone else! There _had_ to have been someone else!”

“Commander,” Fox tried, watching her tense up. “You need to calm down.”

He heard the cell’s ray shield deactivating and the sounds of Rhys and Chase charging in, weapons up. 

“No!” she shouted desperately, on her feet now. “You have to believe me! I can’t--I don’t want--”

“Sit down,” Fox growled as he placed a hand on top of one of his blaster pistols, prepared to stun her if necessary. “This is your last warning.”

Tano made a quiet whimper before silently collapsing back onto the bench, the energy shown just seconds before suddenly gone. 

It appeared that it was finally sinking in for the young Jedi that the clones were willing to treat her like a threat. 

Fox released the grip on his blaster pistol, sighing. “Processing session for case 1187-5J is concluded at this time. It is currently 2330.”

“Ending recording now,” he tapped the same button on his gauntlet, shutting off his helmet’s recording device. 

“Are you alright, sir?” Rhys asked.

“Fine,” Fox answered flatly, giving away no emotion in his voice.

He glanced back at Tano, who was hunched over, staring at the floor and shaking. Tiny. Fragile. Desperate. Defenseless.

He shook his head, the logical part of his brain reprimanding him. She was a Jedi, and a seemingly unpredictable one at that. She definitely wasn’t defenseless--even if she _hadn’t_ been the one to murder Turmond, which was slowly becoming less and less likely. 

Yet for some reason, he couldn’t help but feel sorry… 

Before he could change his mind, he strode over and reached over Tano’s back, grabbing a wrist with one hand and releasing the binders with the other.

She rubbed her raw wrists, surprise evident in her expression as she blinked through the tears.

“Rhys,” he called, turning to the clone and holding up the restraints before tossing them.

The trooper caught the binders in his free hand with trained precision, placing them back on his belt.

Fox felt like smashing his head into the nearest wall. What was he doing, unrestraining a _murder suspect_ and Force user of all people?

Of all the absurdly stupid things he’d done in his short career... 

Continuing to silently berate himself, he only just noticed that Tano was staring at him timidly, probably expecting him to say something.

An awkward quiet settled inside the room for several agonizing seconds before Fox finally broke the spell, clearing his throat. 

“Commander Tano, until the investigation is concluded you will remain in this cell,” he said, straightening up and respectfully clasping his hands behind his back. “I’ve already explained that compliance is your best course of action, and further resistance will be handled accordingly. Meals will be provided to you and a guard will be posted outside your cell at all times. Any questions?”

Tano shook her head. “No,” she said softly. 

Fox switched his mic to internal comms as he climbed back up the steps and out of the cell, ignoring the fact that Tano’s eyes were still following him until he was out of view. “Hound, I want troopers stationed by cell 410 on two hour rotations.”

“Right away, sir.” 

Closing the channel, Fox held the datapad out to Rhys. “I want you to take this and upload it to Commander Tano’s file in the database.”

“Yes sir,” the clone replied, accepting it.

“Sir, do you… do you think the Commander really did it?” Chase asked eagerly. “That she murdered the prisoner?”

“Focus, trooper,” Fox said as the trio rounded the corner. “That’s what the investigation is for. Doubting the process won’t get us anywhere.”

As they exited the maximum security wing and returned to the detention block, Fox immediately noticed Jek’s absence outside of cell 307, freezing in his place and drawing a blaster pistol from its holster upon realizing the cell’s ray shield had also been deactivated.

Where in the nine corellian _hells_ was Jek and why was Turmond’s cell _unlocked_?

Rhys and Chase mirrored his movements, quickly becoming alert and readying their own blasters in anticipation.

“Switch to internal comms,” Fox ordered, and was greeted by two new identification numbers popping up on the comm channel in his HUD. 

“Save your questions for later,” he said urgently. “I want that cell secured.”

The group swiftly approached the open cell in trained coordination, edging over to the bulkhead so no one within the cell could see them coming.

Fox, the first one to reach the cell’s entrance, pressed himself against the wall and gripped his blaster pistol firmly with both hands. 

Once Rhys and Chase were in position behind him, he held up three fingers, silently counting down before charging into the cell.

A simple sweep of the room revealed that no one was there, and Turmond’s body was gone. 

Bodies didn’t just vanish into thin air.

“The cell’s empty,” Rhys said. “And I’m pretty sure dead bodies don’t just get up on their own.”

“Ah… I don’t think that’s quite true,” Chase commented uneasily. “I’ve only heard stories about it from some of the older brothers, but weren’t there brain worms on Geonosis that did exactly that?”

“Oh yeah,” Rhys answered. “Guess that’s the exception, as far as I know. I wasn’t part of the second Battle of Geonosis, but I heard from some of the 212th boys that it was a mess.

“Got a bunch of men infected and originated from eggs the Geonosian Queen was making to control an army of dead bugs. Stuff was creepy.” 

His voice lowered to a mock-whisper, and he stepped closer to the shiny. “ _I heard the worms even went up through the nostrils…_ ”

Chase shook his head, backing up. “Ah, you’re nasty, Rhys!”

Fox’s headache began to flare again, but it didn’t prevent him from thinking up several choice words that were threatening to spill from his lips. “Quiet,” he snapped, holstering his pistol and slapping his comlink to contact Hound. Hopefully his next patrol shift hadn’t started yet. 

A few seconds later the clone sergeant connected to the call.

“Sir--”

“What the hell happened to the body, Hound?” Fox demanded. “And where is Jek?”

“Jek’s back in the control center with me.”

“Why? _Sergeant_ … what is going on?”

Hound took an audible breath over the comm channel. “Fox, it’s better if you just get back to the control center.”

“Alright,” Fox relented. “I’m on my way. There had _better_ be a good reason behind all of this.”

He closed the channel without waiting for a response, and began marching towards the control center, Rhys and Chase following close behind.

\---

Fox reached the exit of the detention block and rounded the corner, glancing through the transparisteel window of the control center as he passed by.

Hound stood helmetless, arms taut and leaned over a console. His eyes immediately locked with Fox’s.

The clone Commander noted the Sergeant’s unease.

Jek had stepped away from his workstation, presumably to use a different console, but stopped in his path when he saw the silent conversation that was occurring between his commanding officers. 

Fox turned to Rhys and Chase once they had reached the control center entrance. “Start going through the security footage for cell 307. Locate Turmond’s time of death and the removal of her body.”

“Yes sir!” both troopers answered.

The door slid open and Fox stepped inside, crossing his arms.

“Explain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to experiment with something unique that hasn't been done to death, so considering the amount of time Fox and Ahsoka spend together during her framing, I figured this might be interesting to explore and add my own twists to it.
> 
> With that being said, enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Jek glanced at Hound, who straightened up and took a deep breath. “Tarkin took the body.”

“What!?” Fox growled, his headache flaring full-force again. “On what grounds?”

“He came down here earlier, backed up by the Senate Guard,” Hound said. “He told us that he had been given complete command of the investigation of Turmond’s murder and was moving the body.”

Fox sighed, clenching and unclenching a fist. “Where?” 

“You know how it goes, Commander,” Hound shook his head before looking back up at Fox. “Tarkin wouldn’t say. Just told us to keep out of the way and mind our own business.”

“ _Oh no_ , we are _not_ playing this game,” Fox muttered under his breath as he took off and tossed his helmet onto the windowsill and activated a nearby console.

“Sir… what are you doing?” Jek asked tentatively.

“Admiral or not--he doesn’t get to do this without any consequences,” Fox replied as he tapped through a list of information. “This investigation _is_ the Coruscant Guard’s business, and he is impeding it.”

“All due respect, Commander,” Hound said. “But you _know_ just as well as I do that Admiral Tarkin has the authority to take over investigations on behalf of the GAR. What are you expecting to accomplish?”

“Got it,” Fox said in triumph as he stood up. “Level 12, admin district.”

“...But that’s the officers level…,” Hound started before breaking off in realization. “Wait--you aren’t doing what I think you’re doing--”

“Remember to rotate Tano’s guard at shift change,” Fox called as he snatched up his helmet and headed to the door. 

“Sir,” Hound protested. “The Admiral said that the investigation--”

“‘The Admiral’ can shove it,” Fox interrupted dryly as he placed his helmet back on his head. 

“But--”

“Thank you for your cooperation, Sergeant,” Fox announced in a tone of finality. “Commander Thire should be on duty right now. Please forward any complaints to him.” 

And then he was gone.

Hound let his arm fall back to his side, and the full weight of the situation began to make itself apparent to him. “Damn it, Fox,” he muttered, before glancing back to see that Jek, Rhys, and Chase were all staring at him expectantly.

“What are you standing around for!?” he barked. “Back to work, troopers!”

\---

Fox rounded the corridor and stopped by the lifts for the detention level, quickly inputting his destination and entering the first one that arrived.

The ride was completely silent, and Fox was left with his own thoughts.

Did he feel guilty for potentially making Hound lose his mind? Yes.

Did he enjoy it? Also, yes.

Fox chuckled quietly. Good ol’ Hound.

The lift dinged and he knew that he had reached his destination.

The doors slid open and the face waiting on the other side brightened in recognition. 

“Uh--hey, Fox!” Commander Thire said in surprise. “What brings you up here today? I thought you were on detention duty for the duration of that bombing investigation.”

“I am,” Fox confirmed as he leaned over Thire’s shoulder to get a better look inside the officers level. “Is Admiral Tarkin in his office?”

Thire scratched his head. “Uh, yeah--I think so.” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “...Why?”

“Thanks, brother,” Fox patted Thire on the shoulder, squeezing past him. He paused and turned back to Thire. “Let’s just say that you should be on the lookout for possible complaints from the men.”

“Fox, what did you do?” Thire placed his hands on his hips. 

“Nothing much,” Fox answered as he strode towards the front desk. “Make sure to keep an eye on the boys.”

Thire simply shook his head and sighed deeply before entering the lift. “Will do, sir,” he muttered.

Fox glanced around the room.

Office assistants and secretaries scurried around from place to place, carrying out whatever tasks assigned to them.

The receptionist was a bored looking young human woman who appeared half-awake, holding her head up with a fist under her chin.

The woman blinked rapidly and shot up in her seat upon noticing the clone Commander standing in front of her.

Fox groaned inwardly. He hated when civvies reacted this way to him.

She cleared her throat, obviously intimidated by Fox’s appearance. “Uh, hello--hello, sir. How may I help you today?” 

“I’m here to speak with Admiral Tarkin.”

The woman began tapping away at her console for a moment before returning her attention to Fox. “And what--what was your name, sir?”

“Fox.”

The woman inputted that piece of information into her console before pointing a shaking finger behind her. “He’s currently in. Fifth door down the hall on the right.”

“Ma’am,” Fox nodded and headed down the hallway, leaving behind the bewildered receptionist, who stared away at Fox’s back.

 _What was the big deal?_

He scoffed. 

Did she think he was gonna shoot her for looking at him the wrong way? 

The Guard had standards. They weren’t the CSF, afterall. 

Fox reached the fifth office and stood in front of the door, glancing at the golden nameplate beside it that had ‘Wilhuff Tarkin’ etched into its surface.

Taking a deep breath, Fox took off his helmet, placed it under his arm, and knocked succinctly three times.

“You may enter,” Admiral Tarkin’s voice called out from behind the door.

Fox tapped the controls and stepped into the office, quickly standing at attention as soon as he was half-way between the entrance and Tarkin’s desk. 

It was a dark, dimly lit room that was entirely gray and black in color.

There were no personal effects or anything at all that could denote the character of the person who inhabited it. The Admiral’s office held a thick, almost depressive void of emptiness.

Tarkin himself sat rigidly in a large black armchair, hands clasped together and resting on his desk.

A computer terminal sat neatly on top of the desk, the glow of the monitor illuminating the far wall of the office.

“At ease, Commander,” Admiral Tarkin acknowledged airily. “I suspect I already know what brings you here.”

Fox eased his stance to parade rest. “Permission to speak freely, sir.”

“Granted.”

“Why was I not notified in advance that Letta Turmond’s body was going to be moved? Where was it moved to?” Fox asked. “The Coruscant Guard needs crucial information in order to function effectively.”

“The _Coruscant Guard_ will do as it is told,” Tarkin answered curtly. “As for the prisoner’s body, that is no longer your concern. It is the Chancellor’s, now.”

“The… _Chancellor_ asked for the body?” Fox remarked in surprise.

“Oh, yes,” Tarkin nodded. “In fact, it was the Chancellor who ordered me to take command of the investigation from the Guard.”

Fox shifted his weight, staring directly into Tarkin’s gaze. “Perhaps I should _discuss_ this matter with him, then.”

“An unwise decision, Commander,” Tarkin’s eyes glinted dangerously in the dim lighting as he leaned forward. “The Chancellor is quite busy at the moment. You see, he has limited time and will only talk to personal acquaintances.”

“That should not be an issue,” Fox answered, his gaze never wavering. “I happen to know the Chancellor _quite_ well myself, actually.”

“Oh, do you now?”

“Yes, I work very closely with him,” Fox was barely able to restrain himself from mocking the Admiral. “Being in charge of Coruscant’s security has its perks.”

“Intriguing,” Tarkin cocked his head. “I was unaware that a clone had been trusted with such a responsibility.”

Fox did not miss Tarkin’s hints and blatant insults. The Admiral was warning Fox to stay in his place.

None of it fazed him, of course. 

Years of acting as Coruscant’s police force had simply conditioned the natural impulse to be offended by petty insults out of Fox.

Whether it was healthy or normal was a different question. But then again, a clone’s life was neither healthy nor normal.

“You’re welcome to confirm my background with the Chancellor,” Fox said. “Provided he has the time, of course.”

“Of course,” Tarkin repeated. “We have more important matters to discuss, afterall.”

“Indeed, sir,” Fox affirmed.

“Now, as you are concerned about the Guard’s involvement in this investigation,” Tarkin relaxed and leaned back in his chair. “I will make it quite clear for you.

“The Coruscant Guard will continue their involvement in the investigation as an assisting element to the Grand Army of the Republic. The Chancellor has ordered me to represent the Grand Army as the primary investigator into the bombing of the Jedi Temple, and Ahsoka Tano’s involvement as both the mastermind behind it as well as Letta Turmond’s murder. Now, here are your orders, Commander.

“I will require all available footage denoting Turmond’s death to be transferred to my office within the next four hours. 

“All visitation to the detention level is to be denied--including GAR personnel.

“Ensure that Tano is kept under careful watch at all times. She is not allowed to contact anyone for the duration of the investigation.

“Time is of the essence, Commander. I will begin questioning Tano tonight. 

“Any questions?” 

“No, sir,” Fox answered through gritted teeth.

“You are dismissed.”

Fox didn’t waste any time leaving the room, silently entering the hallway.

“ _...Fuck._ ”

His fist increased its grip on his helmet as he resisted the urge to throw it--somewhere, anywhere--his knuckles almost certainly white now from the exertion. 

Fox took a deep breath and closed his eyes, standing in complete silence and shutting out all of the activity around him. 

After all outward signs of Fox’s anger had faded, he eased his helmet back on and headed to the lifts.

\---

Fox completely avoided the control center when he returned to the detention level. 

He was _not_ in the mood for a lecture from Hound. 

Instead, he passed the control center and turned right, making his way down to the maximum security wing.

Fox saw out of the corner of his eye as Hound and the others watched him stalk past. Hound had his ARF trooper helmet on now, but if Fox had to guess, he was probably frowning in disapproval from under it.

Fox muttered something unintelligible from under his breath. Hound could go and play with his dirty little massiff. 

The clone Commander felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips. Hound had tried to hide it, but Fox had seen him visiting and talking to his massiff while it was in its cage during meal times (and also to sneak the massiffs treats. Fox hadn’t let that slip past him). 

Hound talked to his massiff as if it was a brother--which, in a way, was true. But the Guard’s K9 unit troopers were especially close to the animals.

Fox allowed himself to smile from under his helmet, the corners of his lips tugging upwards at the thought of his brother's antics.

Now entering the maximum security wing, Fox immediately recognized the trooper currently on guard duty as one of Hound’s K9 troopers.

Fox gave him a firm nod. “Corporal Shepherd.”

“Sir,” the clone Corporal answered respectfully. “Here to see Commander Tano?”

“Yes,” Fox said. “Any suspicious behavior I should be notified of?”

“She hasn’t caused me any trouble, sir. In fact...,” Shepherd trailed off, jerking a thumb back at Tano’s cell. “I haven’t seen her move once since my shift started. Been hearing her muttering in her sleep for about the past ten minutes now, though.”

“Alright, this should be a short conversation. Open the cell and keep an eye out.” 

“Will do, sir.” The trooper produced a keycard and swiped it through the door’s lock, the ray shield vanishing with a warble noise.

Fox stepped inside, the ray shield re-activating a moment later.

Commander Tano lay on the bunk mounted on the far wall of the cell. She was mumbling something incoherent and jerking in random directions.

“Commander Tano,” Fox tried in an effort to get her attention.

“ _Please… I trusted you…_ ,” she mumbled faintly, stirring.

Fox sighed and stepped over to the bunk, placing a hand on Tano’s shoulder and shaking her gently. 

“Commander Tano,” he repeated. “You need to wake up--”

“-- _No!_ ”

Fox let out an ‘ _oomph_ ’ noise and jerked back when he realized that Tano had wrapped herself around his waist.

Instinctively, his hand immediately dropped down and gripped the handle of one of his blaster pistols, but he stopped when he heard sniffling, feeling the young Jedi shudder.

Fox’s first thought was that she was incredibly _warm_ , the heat even spreading through his thick plastoid armor.

His second thought was that _his training hadn’t covered this_. 

There was no policy or reg manual that explained what to do in the event of a prisoner hugging you as if they were holding on for dear life.

And so he went stiff as a board, his arms hovering awkwardly above Tano’s shoulders.

He glanced down, voice slightly strangled. “Commander... this is highly inappropriate.”

Fox heard the ray shield deactivate, followed by Shepherd’s footsteps. “Everything alright sir--!?”

The ARF trooper had a blaster pistol drawn, which he awkwardly lowered upon arrival. 

Fox turned as best as he could to Shepherd. “I’m--fine,” he said tightly.

“You’re-- _sniff_ \--right,” Tano said suddenly.

Fox relaxed when he felt her arms fall away shortly after, the pressure fading. 

“I’m sorry-- _sniff_ \--that was my-- _sniff_ \--fault,” Tano stepped back and sat down on her bunk, orange face puffy from the tears and also slightly flushed with heat. “I’ll accept the consequences for my lapse in judgement.”

Fox shook his head and sighed, wanting nothing more than to just rub his forehead and sleep. Many words were on the tip of his tongue, but all he said was. “Don’t do it again.”

Tano looked up at Fox in surprise, her mouth opening as if she wanted to say something. 

Fox stared at Tano expectantly, but all she did was look away, suddenly finding interest in the wall of her cell.

After a few more moments of silence, she cleared her throat tentatively. “I know you’re not here to comfort the prisoners when they have nightmares, so…” she trailed off.

Fox’s mind flashed back to his conversation with Tarkin, and he nodded, getting back to business. “On behalf of the GAR, Admiral Tarkin will be taking over the investigation effective immediately.”

“...So that’s it?” Tano asked softly, staring at the ground now.

“What?” Fox tilted his head in confusion. “The investigation will still move forward, regardless of who’s in charge.”

Tano looked up bitterly, her disappointed gaze piercing through Fox’s T-visor. “You don’t trust Tarkin, do you?”

Fox had his doubts and concerns about Tarkin, but he knew damn well that the Admiral wouldn’t try to fuck up an active murder and domestic terrorism investigation, lest he tarnish his reputation and credibility. 

Instead, he simply answered. “I expect that the Admiral will perform his duties in this investigation to the best of his ability.” and left it at that.

Tano nodded absently, obviously recognizing Fox’s response for what it truly was.

“Would it be possible to talk to my Master at all?” she asked hesitantly, abruptly changing topics.

Fox shook his head, carefully choosing how to answer without mentioning Tarkin again. “You are restricted from contacting anyone for the duration of the investigation.”

Tano’s shoulders drooped. “Oh.”

Seeing her reaction, Fox was strangely compelled to add. “It’s standard procedure for active investigations.”

Why did he feel like he was trying to reassure Tano? 

_No._

He wasn’t trying to reassure her.

It was simply an explanation for why she couldn’t contact General Skywalker, or anyone else, for that matter.

That’s all it was.

Fox sighed quietly and watched as Tano pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, hiding her head behind her legs.

Fox turned and headed for the cell’s entrance, motioning Shepherd to follow him.

Once they were back in the hallway, Shepherd simply re-activated the ray shield and took his place by Tano’s cell again.

If the clone had any thoughts on Fox’s conduct with the murder suspect, he didn’t voice them.

Instead, the Corporal nodded in farewell, which Fox quickly returned before heading back down the hallway to the control center.

\---

“Fox!” Hound shouted as soon as the Commander returned. The Sergeant braced his hands against the sides of his forehead. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? First you go and try to challenge Tarkin’s orders--yeah, I know what you did; don’t think you gave Thire the slip--and then you allow yourself to be hugged by a _murder suspect_ in our custody!?”

Fox patiently counted to ten while listening to the other clone rant.

If it was anyone else but Hound or one of Fox’s fellow Guard Commanders, he almost certainly would’ve made their life hell for mouthing off to him like this.

“It was just a hug, Hound,” Fox said dismissively when Hound had finished talking. “Relax.”

In the back of his mind, he knew he was being completely irrational, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care at the moment.

“Relax? _Relax!?_ Are you out of your mind, Commander!?” Hound cried out. “You let a dangerous Force user and murder suspect hug you, and that’s all you have to say!?” 

Before Fox could get a single word in edgewise, Hound continued. “Why is she not restrained at all? At minimum, she should be in those Force-suppression cuffs right now after this!”

The Sergeant shook his head and chuckled quietly in incredulity. “You didn’t even try to push her off of you, huh? I saw your hand reaching for your blaster, but you never pulled it out! You froze up like a fucking cadet, Fox!” he threw his hands up in the air in vexation. “And I’m not even going to _talk_ _about_ Shepherd standing there like a street vender droid caught in the headlights of a speeder!”

Fox felt his forehead flare in irritation. 

“I’m still here, _aren’t I_?” he snapped flippantly. “Have you considered that _something_ _doesn’t seem right here_?”

Hound’s head snapped up in disbelief. “What are you talking about!?” he yelled. “The Jedi did it! There was no one else in the area, and she was the only Force user! She was in the fucking cell when the prisoner died!”

“Hound--have you _seen_ her?” Fox said. “Her alleged actions and behavior don’t match up!” 

“ _So what_? The Jedi are masters at controlling their emotions!”

“No. She’s a goddamn _padawan_ ,” Fox shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“I can’t believe you right now, Commander,“ Hound said. He faced away from Fox. “Y’know, maybe having Tarkin in charge instead wasn’t such a bad idea.”

The room went deathly silent.

Fox felt his fist clench, and before he did anything that he might regret, he marched to the door, nearly colliding with Rhys and Jek on the way out.

“...Uh, is the Commander alright, sir?”

Fox didn’t hear the response and rounded the corner to the lifts, barely restraining himself from punching the controls. 

Once inside, he slapped the button for the ground level and tugged off his helmet with shaking, sweat-soaked hands.

Focusing on controlling his breathing, Fox took in a deep breath and held it before exhaling.

Turning his helmet around so the T-visor was facing him, he stared at the sweaty face of the man who appeared in view.

It was the face that Fox shared with millions of other identical men. 

Soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Fox did not feel like a soldier right now, let alone anything resembling a law enforcer.

When the lift chirped that it had reached its destination, Fox placed his helmet back on his head and stepped out into the hanger bay, heading for the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things really escalated in this chapter, eh?
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the wait and enjoy. Cheers.


End file.
